A Void

BANEQUE

A crystallised phantom island / 2016

Christopher Columbus and other explorers relentlessly searched for the phantom island of Baneque. Guided by a map drawn by Columbus on his first trip to the Americas, the artist traveled to the supposed coordinates of Baneque where he gathered dozens of gallons of water. The island is reconstituted by using the salt water collected; as the water evaporates the salt turns into a crystallized form. The phantom becomes tangible.

First map of the Americas drawn by Columbus right after his arrival at La Española island.

The lower part shows the northern coast of the island. The Atlantic ocean appears on the upper part.

The Taíno natives spoke to Columbus of an island where he could find all the gold he was searching for: Baneque.

He went into a two-months expedition to find it with no success whatsoever.

In an attempt to find this phantom island, the artist studied this map and determined that the only missing part in it, the unseen or overlooked, must be this hole in Columbus map: after all Baneque might be sighted in this missing area

If mapped, this hole is located 4,2 km from the coast of the Dominican Republic, right in front of “Playa del Buen Hombre” (Good Man’s beach). An expedition went there in search of Baneque.

Around 100 gallons of water were collected in this spot, and a small piece of driftwood floating there as well.

Afterward, throughout a process of slow water evaporation, the salt and minerals turned into crystals.

Cloud

Zephyr

Narrative dia projection documenting the process, from its primary source to its final destination, on 11 images.

Slide projection describing the history of the lost natal chart of Austrian psychologist Carl G. Jung; the modification of the chart's replica in order to turn it into a vacuum cleaner container; and, the journey that the artist embarked upon in order to take the breeze of jaguars in its interior.

The Intruder

The highest point of The Netherlands has being stolen / 2014

The artist traveled to the highest point of The Netherlands

And stole its very tip making the country one centimeter shorter.

The tip's soil was then brought into a museum and laid flat on a pedestal.

Where the mountain was rebuilt by means of the air of flutes.

A work by Oscar Santillan This performance took place at the Bonnefanten Museum (NL) in October 4, 2014 Performing: Donna Gruintjes Kris Borst Marius Borst Paco Gruintjes David Borst Produced by Judith and Chrisje Bruijnzeels Musical direction by Maarten Reumkens Camera by Antonis Antopoulos Thanks to Eveline Arnold, Karin van Wunnik, and the Borst and Gruintjes families This work was developed as part of 'Performing Gender' at the Dutch Dance Festival

A Knife to Defeat the Breeze

The cremated ashes of a coyote fixated on sheets of plexiglass / 2010-2011